Join the PSA Board of Directors in welcoming Cassandra Robinson as our next PSA Office Manager!

Cassandra joins The Philmont Staff Association as the new full-time PSA Office Manager. She will be working with the Executive Director and be in charge of coordinating the day-to-day business of the PSA. She will take the lead with membership services and merchandise sales.

Cassandra earned her bachelor’s degree in History in 2013 from the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs. Most recently Cassandra worked for Cimarron High School as the Student Office Secretary from 2013–2018. Cassandra resides in Ute Park, NM with her husband Ross.

Nothing worthwhile was ever accomplished without the will to start, the enthusiasm to continue and, regardless of temporary obstacles, the persistence to complete.

–Waite Phillips

Just imagine…

You’re sitting on a log around a campfire, the flames illuminating the faces of treasured friends. The sound of guitars, fiddles, and voices fill the night air. Thousands of stars stretch across the sky, winking at you through the branches of whispering pines.

Now you’re hiking up a trail, the laughter and encouragement of your traveling companions in the air as you reach the top. You turn in circles and take in the beauty surrounding you, and then join your friends for a picture to capture a moment you never want to forget.

Next, you’re gathering for a reunion in Denver, in Washington D.C., in Boston, in Dallas – name a city and it has probably been the site of Philmont alumni getting together to celebrate friendships forged under the New Mexican sun.

It is indeed that time of year when we look back wistfully on the happiest memories of our past. But guess what? Those images aren’t just memories – they’re also the future of Philmont Staff Association members who will take part in the treks and reunions offered throughout the coming year.

Our Annual Fund goal this year was $75,000. I’m so pleased to report that we not only met that goal, we surpassed it, raising a total of $80,820!

Because of your generous donations, the PSA will be able to create more opportunities for you to stay connected in 2018. High Country magazine will continue to share interesting stories, photography, news, and updates about the country we love and the people who love it. Scholarships and outreach efforts by the PSA will further strengthen our relationship with Philmont Scout Ranch.

To make this new year even more promising, we’ll be moving into our very own PSA office where we can better serve our current membership, reach out to new staff, and continue to vigorously support Philmont Scout Ranch in its mission to enrich the lives of all those who walk its trails.

On behalf of all the members of the PSA board, thank you so much for supporting the 2018 Annual Fund. We sure hope you’ll come by the new PSA office for a visit real soon!

In early summer and early fall, my guest room often has strangers staying there. They are generally good people—hikers on the Continental Divide Trail. My neighbors think I am nuts. Why do you let people you don’t know in your home? My answer: to pay off a karmic debt. Thirty-six years ago, while I was hiking the Divide, I was shown so much kindness by strangers that I’ll always keep paying it forward. It’s something I have learned about how I live in this world.

Most folks get that. They understand how walking across our country for months and months can be so transformative that you always want to honor where you came from.

I was thirteen when I first considered hiking the Divide. I was hiking in the mountains of northern New Mexico. It is no surprise that in the following years I discovered the nearby Philmont Scout Ranch as an excellent place to hone my backpacking skills to get me ready for this epic cross-country adventure. I spent two summers as a Rayado Woman and a summer as a Philmont Ranger before my hike. Those experiences served me well.

Yet a funny thing happened while I was hiking the Divide. I realized that, more than anything else, I wanted to go back to Philmont. It wasn’t so much that Philmont was my training ground to prepare me for a transformative adventure—Philmont was a transformative experience. Philmont had shaped who I was. Summers at Philmont were ever much as important to me as through-hiking long trails. After the divide hike, I spent two more summers at Philmont.

Today I live in northern New Mexico, about a three-hour drive west of Philmont in the San Juan Mountains. I work as a forester; I have great friends who share a love for the land; I play hard year around in the mountains I love. I have a good life.

I try to pay off my karmic debts to the mountain gods that fill my life with so many blessings. My guest room also hosts many Philmont folks but usually these are friends rather than strangers. I volunteer 6-10 days a year at Philmont to enrich forestry education there.

I also give the small amounts that I can afford to the Philmont Staff Association. I’m not a lucrative donor. My $25 bucks here and there isn’t buying me bricks and Yeti cups. Yet I do what I can because, in truth, if I have a karmic debt to the universe for experiences that have shaped me into who I am, it is first to Philmont. I’m sure I am not alone in this realization.

Note from the PSA: To echo Mary’s sentiments, you don’t have to give a lot to the PSA to be appreciated! Every donation helps, and the size of the donation isn’t as important as your continued support and involvement in the PSA. We just want to make sure you will always be able to go back to Philmont!

I am a member of the PSA and I choose to support PSA efforts via the 1973 Club!

Unlike many members, I did not attend or staff Philmont when I was young. I participated in a 7-day trek with my oldest son in 1997 and was bit by the Philmont bug. I returned for two more treks with both of my sons. In 2007, I was invited to serve as faculty for NAYLE (National Advanced Youth Leadership Experience.) As a volunteer faculty member, I became eligible to join the PSA. As a member, I learned of all of the ways the PSA supports the Philmont Scout Ranch and seasonal staff members; some examples include the staff dining hall, Silver Sage Staff Activity Center, the new museum and PSA office building, and scholarships for seasonal staff.

I retired from a career in Law Enforcement in 2008. After serving as faculty for NAYLE, I was looking for a way to return to Philmont. In 2011, I applied to work in Logistics during the summer. Since then, I have returned every summer and presently serve as the seasonal manager of Logistics.

I looked for a way to support the PSA and our efforts to support the Philmont Scout Ranch. I chose to donate via the 1973 club; every month, $19.73 is automatically deducted from my checking account. What an easy and painless way to support the PSA and Philmont Scout Ranch!